Aerodynamic fairings for cargo enclosures

ABSTRACT

A nose fairing for a cargo enclosure may generally include a nose body configured to extend outwardly from a front wall of the enclosure. The nose body may include an upper nose wall, a lower nose wall and a leading edge region extending between the upper and lower nose walls. The upper nose wall may include a concave region that terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the concave region of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region. The lower nose wall may include a convex region that terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the convex region of the lower nose wall to the leading edge region. The leading edge region may define a radius of curvature that differs from a radius of curvature of the convex region of the lower nose wall.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to aerodynamic fairings forcargo enclosures and, more particularly, to a nose fairing and sidefairings configured to be installed along the top and side edges,respectively, of the front wall of a cargo enclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An ongoing effort to reduce drag in vehicular structures and associatedcargo enclosures is of great importance as fuel economy becomes anincreasingly large consideration in the overall design of a vehicleand/or its associated cargo enclosure. As the drag increases, the amountof fuel needed to move the vehicle also increases due to the greaterenergy required to overcome the drag. For instance, it has been statedthat for a vehicle traveling at 70 mph, about 65% of the total fuelconsumption of the vehicle's engine is used to overcome drag. Therefore,even a small reduction in the drag experienced by a vehicle traveling athighway speeds can result in a significant improvement in fuel economy.

For instance, heavy-duty vehicles such as tractor-trailers (also knownas semi tractors, tractors, class 8 long haul trucks, transfer trucks,18-wheelers, semis, etc.) have a tall and wide box-shaped profile thatcreates a significant amount of drag compared to smaller vehicles on theroad. For instance, Table I lists common drag coefficients of roadvehicles.

TABLE I Type of Vehicle Drag Coefficient (Cd) Low Drag Production Car.26 Typical Sedan  .3-.35 Sport Utility Vehicle .4-.5 PickupTruck .4-.5Conventional Class 8 .59-.63 long haul tractor trailers

Additionally, conventional cargo enclosures often have a similarly talland wide box-shaped profile that creates a significant amount of drag.For example, trailers typically define an enclosed cargo space that isrectangular in shape. For example, the most common type of cargo trailerin the U.S. is a dry box van that is 53 feet long.

Various devices have been developed in the past to address certain areasof drag on a vehicle and/or its associated cargo enclosure, such on atractor-trailer combination. However, these devices often havesignificant limitations in their ability to reduce drag and/or theirability to be easily integrated into fleet operations. As a result, acomprehensive solution for reducing vehicle drag is still needed.

Thus, a need exists for an improved aerodynamic fairing(s) that isdesigned to provide drag reduction for a cargo enclosure that isincluded within or configured to be coupled to or hauled by a vehicle.Retrofit kits for incorporating such devices onto a cargo enclosurewould also be beneficial. Moreover, methods relating to the utilizationof such devices would also be beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be obvious from the description, or may belearned through practice of the invention.

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a cargoenclosure for storing cargo. The cargo enclosure may include a frontwall, a rear wall and a roof extending between the front and rear walls.The cargo enclosure may also define a top edge at the interface betweenthe front wall and the roof. In addition, the cargo enclosure mayinclude a nose fairing extending outwardly from the front wall. The nosefairing may include an upper nose wall, a lower nose wall and a leadingedge region extending between the upper and lower nose walls. The uppernose wall may extend away from the front wall at a location at oradjacent to the top edge of the cargo enclosure. Moreover, the uppernose wall may include a concave region defining a concavely curvedsurface, wherein the concave region terminates at the leading edgeregion such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the concaveregion of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region as the nosefairing extends outwardly from the front wall. Further, the lower nosewall may include a convex region defining a convexly curved surface,wherein the convex region terminates at the leading edge region suchthat the nose fairing transitions directly from the convex region of thelower nose wall to the leading edge region as the nose fairing extendsoutwardly from the front wall. Additionally, the leading edge region maydefine a radius of curvature that differs from a radius of curvature ofthe convex region of the lower nose wall.

In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a kit forretrofitting an existing cargo enclosure, wherein the cargo enclosureincludes a front wall, a rear wall and a roof extending between thefront and rear walls and defines a top edge at the interface between thefront wall and the roof. The kit may generally include a nose fairingconfigured to extend outwardly from the front wall at a location at oradjacent to the top edge of the cargo enclosure. The nose fairing mayinclude an upper nose wall, a lower nose wall and a leading edge regionextending between the upper and lower nose wall. The upper nose wall mayinclude a concave region defining a concavely curved surface, whereinthe concave region terminates at the leading edge region such that thenose fairing transitions directly from the concave region of the uppernose wall to the leading edge region. In addition, the lower nose wallmay include a convex region defining a convexly curved surface, whereinthe convex region terminates at the leading edge region such that thenose fairing transitions directly from the convex region of the lowernose wall to the leading edge region. Moreover, the leading edge regionmay define a radius of curvature that differs from a radius of curvatureof the convex region of the lower nose wall.

In a further aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a nosefairing for a cargo enclosure. The nose fairing may generally include anose body configured to extend outwardly from a front wall of the cargoenclosure. The nose body may include an upper nose wall, a lower nosewall and a leading edge region extending between the upper and lowernose walls. The upper nose wall may include a concave region defining aconcavely curved surface, wherein the concave region terminates at theleading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly fromthe concave region of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region. Inaddition, the lower nose wall may include a convex region defining aconvexly curved surface, wherein the convex region terminates at theleading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly fromthe convex region of the lower nose wall to the leading edge region.Moreover, the leading edge region may define a radius of curvature thatdiffers from a radius of curvature of the convex region of the lowernose wall.

In yet another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to amethod for retrofitting a cargo enclosure including a front wall, a rearwall and a roof extending between the front and rear walls, wherein thecargo enclosure defines a top edge at the interface between the frontwall and the roof. The method may include installing a nose fairing ator adjacent to the top edge of the enclosure such that the nose fairingextends outwardly from the front wall. The nose fairing may include anupper nose wall, a lower nose wall and a leading edge region extendingbetween the upper and lower nose walls. The upper nose wall may includea concave region defining a concavely curved surface, wherein theconcave region terminates at the leading edge region such that the nosefairing transitions directly from the concave region of the upper nosewall to the leading edge region as the nose fairing extends outwardlyfrom the front wall. In addition, the lower nose wall may include aconvex region defining a convexly curved surface, wherein the convexregion terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairingtransitions directly from the convex region of the lower nose wall tothe leading edge region as the nose fairing extends outwardly from thefront wall. Moreover, the leading edge region may define a radius ofcurvature that differs from a radius of curvature of the convex regionof the lower nose wall.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of one embodiment of a cargo enclosureconfiguring in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter,particularly illustrating the cargo enclosure being coupled to a tractorand including a nose fairing installed at the top edge of the front wallof the enclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the cargo enclosure and tractorshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front, perspective view of the cargo enclosureshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the nose fairing removed from the front wallof the enclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a nosefairing configured in accordance with aspects of the present subjectmatter, particularly illustrating the nose fairing installed at oradjacent to the top edge of the front wall of the cargo enclosure shownin FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded, perspective view of the nose fairingshown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the nose fairing shown inFIG. 4 taken about line 6-6;

FIG. 7 illustrates a close-up view of a portion of the nose fairingshown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of an end capsuitable for use with the nose fairing shown in FIGS. 4-7 in accordancewith aspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a nosefairing configured in accordance with aspects of the present subjectmatter, particularly illustrating the nose fairing installed at oradjacent to the top edge of the front wall of the cargo enclosure shownin FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 10 illustrates a close-up, perspective view of a portion of thenose fairing shown in FIG. 9, particularly illustrating one embodimentof an end cap suitable for use with the nose fairing;

FIG. 11 a perspective view of a further embodiment of a nose fairingconfigured in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter,particularly illustrating the nose fairing installed at or adjacent tothe top edge of the front wall of the cargo enclosure shown in FIGS.1-3;

FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the nose fairing shown inFIG. 11 taken about line 12-12;

FIG. 13 illustrates another perspective view of the front wall of thecargo enclosure shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, particularly illustratingembodiments of a nose fairing and side fairing installed along the edgesof the front wall;

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded view of the fairings shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one of the side fairingsshown in FIG. 13 taken about line 15-15;

FIG. 16 illustrates a close-up view of a portion of the side fairingshown in FIG. 15; and

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a transitionpiece that may be installed between the nose fairing and each sidefairing at the corners of the cargo enclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

In general, the present subject matter is directed to aerodynamicfairings positioned or configured to be installed at the front end of acargo enclosure to reduce the amount of drag on the enclosure as it isbeing hauled or transported. Specifically, in several embodiments, anose fairing may be positioned or installed along the front wall of thecargo enclosure at or adjacent to its top edge. The nose fairing maygenerally define an aerodynamic shape or profile that is configured tospeed up the airflow flowing across the fairing, thereby creating one ormore low pressure zones in front the nose fairing that serve to reducethe amount of drag on the cargo enclosure. In addition, the low pressurezone(s) may create a lift vector in the travel direction of the cargoenclosure that generates a net thrusting force for the enclosure.

Moreover, in several embodiments, one or more side fairings may bepositioned or installed on the front wall of the cargo enclosure alongits side edges. The side fairings may be positioned or installed asstand-alone components or may be positioned or installed in combinationwith the nose fairing. Similar to the nose fairing, each side fairingdefines an aerodynamic shape or profile that is configured to speed upthe airflow flowing across the fairing, thereby creating one or more lowpressure zones in front the side fairing that serve to reduce the amountof drag on the cargo enclosure and/or that generate a net thrustingforce for the enclosure.

It should be appreciated that, although the disclosed fairings willgenerally be described herein as corresponding to separate componentsconfigured to be separately installed onto a cargo enclosure, thefairings may, instead, be formed integrally with the cargo enclosure.For instance, the design of the cargo enclosure, itself, may be modifiedor otherwise configured to incorporate the various features of thefairings described herein. In such an embodiment, the cargo enclosuremay be initially manufactured to include one or more of the disclosedfairings. For example, the front wall and/or the roof of the cargoenclosure may be modified to incorporate the design features of one ormore embodiments of the nose fairings described herein. Similarly, thefront wall and/or the sidewall(s) of the cargo enclosure may be modifiedto incorporate the design features of one or more embodiments of theside fairings described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, several views of one embodiment of a cargoenclosure 100 onto which one or more of the disclosed fairings may beinstalled is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the presentsubject matter. Specifically, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate side and bottomviews, respectively, of the cargo enclosure 100 coupled to a tractor 102in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. Additionally,FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the cargo enclosure 100 shownin FIGS. 1 and 2.

In several embodiments, the cargo enclosure 100 may generally define anenclosed space or volume for storing cargo. For example, as shown inFIGS. 1-3, the cargo enclosure 100 may, in one embodiment, define arectangular storage space bounded along its sides by a front wall 104, arear wall 106 and opposed sidewalls (e.g., a first sidewall 108 and asecond sidewall 110) extending between the front and rear walls 104,106. In addition, the cargo enclosure 100 may include a roof 112 formingthe top of the enclosed space and a floor 114 forming the bottom of theenclosed space. It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, thevarious walls 104, 106, 108, 110, roof 112 and/or floor 114 of the cargoenclosure 100 may be configured in any other manner such that theenclosure 100 defines a storage space having any other suitable shape.

As particularly shown in FIG. 3, the cargo enclosure 100 may definevarious corners or edges at the intersection between the front wall 104and the various other walls/surfaces of the enclosure 100. For example,the cargo enclosure 100 may include a top edge 116 defined at theintersection between the front wall 104 and the roof 112 of theenclosure 100. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the cargo enclosure mayinclude a first side edge 118 defined at the intersection between thefront wall 104 and the first sidewall 108 of the enclosure 100 and asecond side edge 120 defined at the intersection between the front wall104 and the second sidewall 110 of the enclosure 100.

Additionally, the cargo enclosure 100 may generally define any suitabledimensions. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the cargo enclosure 100 maydefine a height 122 extending between the roof 112 and the floor 114 ofthe enclosure 100. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the cargo enclosure100 may define a width 124 extending between its opposed sidewalls 108,110 and a length 126 extending between the front wall 104 and the rearwall 106 of the enclosure 100.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cargo enclosure 100 may, in severalembodiments, form part of a trailer configured for use as atractor-trailer combination. In such embodiments, the cargo enclosure100 may include or be associated with any suitable trailer-relatedcomponents, such as landing gear 128, wheels 130, axles 132, asuspension system 134 and/or the like. Additionally, when used in atractor-trailer combination, the cargo enclosure 100 may be configuredto be coupled to or hauled by a tractor 102 having any suitable tractorconfiguration. For example, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, thetractor 102 may include a cab 136 supported on a chassis 138 and a fifthwheel coupling 140 extending behind the cab 136 for coupling the tractor102 to the cargo enclosure 100. Additionally, as particularly shown inFIG. 1, the tractor 102 may include an air dam 142 mounted on top of thecab 136.

It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the cargo enclosure100 may correspond to or form part of any other suitable transportvehicle and/or transport/storage system. For example, the cargoenclosure 100 may correspond to or form part of the rear storageenclosure of a straight or box truck. In another embodiment, the cargoenclosure 100 may correspond to or form part of a railway car or boxcar,a motorhome, bus, cab-over-type vehicle and/or any other suitablemovable storage compartment or space, regardless of whether thecompartment/space is pulled, pushed or self-propelled.

In accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, one or morefairings may be installed at or adjacent to the front wall 104 of thecargo enclosure 100 to reduce the amount of drag acting on the enclosure100 as it is being transported. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, one ormore nose fairings 200 may be installed at or adjacent to top edge 116of the cargo enclosure 100 defined at the interface between the frontwall 104 and the roof 112. In addition, one or more side fairings (notshown in FIG. 1) may be installed at or adjacent to one or both of theside edges 118, 120 defined at the interface between the front wall 104and the sidewalls 108, 110 of the enclosure 100. As will be describedbelow, a shape or profile of the fairing(s) may be configured toeliminate the high pressure region formed along the edges 116, 118, 120of the front wall 108 of the cargo enclosure 100 as the enclosure 100 isbeing transported (e.g., along a highway), thereby reducing the overalldrag on the cargo enclosure. In addition, the shape or profile of thefairing(s) may also be configured to generate thrust in the direction oftravel of the cargo enclosure.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, one embodiment of a nose fairing 200configured to be installed at the front end of a cargo enclosure 100 isillustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter.Specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the nose fairing200 installed on the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure at oradjacent to its top edge 116. FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of thenose fairing 200 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectionalview of the nose fairing 200 shown in FIG. 4 taken about line 6-6.Additionally, FIG. 7 illustrates a close-up view of a portion of thenose fairing 200 shown in FIG. 6.

In general, the nose fairing 200 may include a unitary or multi-piecenose body 202 configured to be installed along the front wall 104 at oradjacent to the front, top edge 116 of the cargo enclosure 100. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nose fairing 200 includes atwo-piece nose body 202 having a first body portion 202A and a secondbody portion 202B configured to be coupled together such that the nosebody 200 extends lengthwise along the front wall 104 across all or asubstantial portion of the width 124 of the cargo enclosure 100. In suchan embodiment, the nose fairing 200 may also include a body coupling 204configured to be installed between the adjacent body portions 202A, 202Bso at to couple the body portions 202A, 202B to one another.Alternatively, as will be described below with reference to embodimentsshown in FIGS. 9-12, the nose body 200 may correspond to a unitary orcontinuous component configured to span across all or a substantialportion of the width 124 of the cargo enclosure 100. Similarly, in afurther embodiment, the nose body 200 may be formed from three or morebody portions, with each pair of adjacent body portions configured to becoupled together via a corresponding body coupling 204.

It should be appreciated that, as an alternative to coupling theadjacent body portions 202A, 202B together using a body coupling 204,the body portions 202A, 202B may, instead, be coupled directly to oneanother. For instance, in one embodiment, the first body portion 202Amay be configured to overlap the second body portion 202B along thewidth 124 of the cargo enclosure 100 to allow the body portions 202A,202B to be coupled to one another. In another embodiment, the bodyportions 202A, 202B may be coupled to one another end-to-end (e.g., toform a butt joint).

In several embodiments, the nose body 202 may define the primary,aerodynamic shape of the nose fairing 200. For example, as shown in FIG.6, the nose body 202 may include an upper nose wall 206 defining anupper aerodynamic surface of the nose body 202 and a lower nose wall 208defining a lower aerodynamic surface of the nose body 202. In addition,the nose body 202 may include a leading edge region 210 extendingbetween the upper and lower nose walls 208, 210 that generally definesthe leading or forward edge of the nose body 202.

As particularly shown in FIG. 7, the upper nose wall 206 may generallybe configured to extend outwardly from the front wall 104 of the cargoenclosure 100 from a location at or adjacent to the top edge 116 of theenclosure 100 to the leading edge region 210 so as to define the upperaerodynamic surface of the nose body 202. For example, in severalembodiments, the portion of the upper nose wall 206 extending outwardlyfrom the front wall 104 may include a convex region 212 (also referredto herein as an upper convex region) and a concave region 214, with theupper nose wall 206 transitioning from the convex region 212 to theconcave region 214 at a transition point 216 as the upper nose wall 206extends outwardly from the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100.The convex region 212 may generally define a convexly curved surface 218of the upper aerodynamic surface while the concave region 214 maygenerally define a concavely curved surface 220 of the upper aerodynamicsurface. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the concave region 214 of theupper nose wall 206 may terminate at the leading edge region 210 suchthat the upper nose wall 206 transitions directly from the concaveregion 214 to the leading edge region 210 as the nose body 202 extendsoutwardly from the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the lower nose wall 208 may generallybe configured to extend between the front wall 104 of the cargoenclosure 100 and the leading edge region 210 of the nose body 202 so asto define the lower aerodynamic surface of the nose body 202. In severalembodiments, the lower nose wall 208 may include a convex region 222extending outwardly from the front wall 104 in the direction of theleading edge region 210. Specifically, the convex region 222 may beconfigured to terminate at the leading edge region 210 such that thelower nose wall 208 transitions directly from the convex region 222 tothe leading edge region 210 as the nose body 202 extends outwardly fromthe front wall 104. As shown in FIG. 7, the convex region 222 maygenerally define a convexly curved surface 224 of the lower aerodynamicsurface.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the leading edge region 210 maygenerally correspond to a forward portion of the nose body 202 defininga radius of curvature 226 that differs from the radius of curvaturedefined by the upper and/or lower aerodynamic surfaces, such as bydefining a radius of curvature 226 that differs from the radius ofcurvature of the convex region 222 of the lower nose wall 208 and/orfrom the radius of curvature of the concave region 214 and/or the convexregion 212 of the upper nose wall 206. In several embodiments, theleading edge region 210 may define a constant radius of curvature 226between the convex region 222 of the lower nose wall 208 and the concaveregion 214 of the upper nose wall 206. In such embodiments, the nosebody 202 may transition from the uniformly radiused leading edge region210 to the aerodynamically shaped upper and lower nose walls 206, 208.For example, in one embodiment, the aerodynamic surface defined by theupper nose wall 206 and/or the lower nose wall 208 may correspond to acomplex surface having a radius of curvature that varies as the nosebody 202 extends outwardly from the front wall 104 of the cargoenclosure 100 towards the leading edge region 210.

By configuring the shape of the nose body 202 in the manner describedherein, an improved aerodynamic profile may be provided to the frontnose or top edge 116 of a cargo enclosure 100. Specifically, byconfiguring the nose body 202 to transition from the convex region 222of the lower nose wall 208 to the radiused leading edge region 210 andthen from the leading edge region 210 to the concave/convex regions 214,212 of the upper nose wall 206, the disclosed nose fairing 200 maysignificantly reduce the amount of drag at the front end of the cargoenclosure 100 and may also generate a thrusting force in the traveldirection of the enclosure 100. For example, a stagnation point 228 forthe airflow flowing towards the cargo enclosure 110 may be defined at oradjacent to the transition point between the leading edge region 210 andthe lower nose wall 208. By providing the radiused leading edge region210 and the convexly curved region 222 of the lower nose wall 208 alongeither side of the stagnation point 228, the regions 210, 222 maygenerate suction by speeding up the airflow as it flows outwardly fromthe stagnation point 228, thereby creating low pressure zones adjacentto such regions 210, 222. Additionally, the concave region 214 of theupper nose wall 206 may provide a transition surface between the lowpressure zone formed at the leading edge region 210 and a correspondinglow pressure second formed along the convex region 212 of the upper nosewall 206 as the velocity of the airflow is increased as it flows acrosssuch convexly curved surface 218. As a result, the nose body 202 mayeliminate the high pressure zone(s) typically formed at the top edge 116of a conventional cargo enclosure. Moreover, the resulting low pressurezones may generate a lift vector in the travel direction of the cargoenclosure 100 that provides a net thrusting force for the enclosure 100.Such a reduction in drag, along with the generation of thrust, may, inturn, translate into improved fuel economy, reduced emissions of carbondioxide, as well as other improved efficiencies, for the vehicle beingused to transport the corresponding enclosure 100.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the upper nose wall206 may also include an overlapped region 230 extending aft of the noseor top edge 116 of the cargo enclosure 100 such that the overlappedregion 230 overlaps at least a portion of the roof 112 of the enclosure100. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the overlapped region 206generally defines a planar surface extending directly adjacent to theroof 112. However, in other embodiments, the overlapped region 230 maybe curved and/or may be spaced apart from the roof 112. For instance, aswill be described below with reference to FIG. 12, the overlapped region230 may, in one embodiment, form an extension of the convex region 212of the upper nose wall 206 and may define a convexly shaped surface thatis spaced apart from the roof 112 along at least a portion of theoverlapped region 230.

It should be appreciated that, in several embodiments, the overlappedregion 230 of the upper nose wall 206 may be configured to provide ameans for coupling the nose body 202 to the cargo enclosure 100. Forinstance, the overlapped region 230 may define a plurality of openings(not shown) configured to receive mechanical fasteners for coupling thenose body 202 to the cargo enclosure 100. Alternatively, the overlappedregion 230 may be secured directly to the roof 112 of the cargoenclosure 100, such as by bonding the overlapped region 230 to the roof112 or by welding the overlapped region 230 to the roof 112.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the disclosed nose fairing 200 mayalso include additional features for locating the nose body 202 relativeto the cargo enclosure 100 and/or for coupling the nose body 202 to thecargo enclosure 100. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the nosefairing 200 may include a nose lip 232 configured to extend outwardlyfrom the upper nose wall 206 along the front wall 104 of the cargoenclosure 100. Such lip 232 may generally serve as a mechanical stop forinstalling the nose fairing 202 onto the cargo enclosure 100. Forinstance, the nose fairing 202 may be moved towards the cargo enclosure100 until the nose lip 232 contacts the front wall 104, therebyindicating that the nose fairing 202 is properly positioned relative tothe cargo enclosure 100.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower nose wall 208 may, inseveral embodiments, include a lower mounting region 234 extending alongthe front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100 in a direction away fromthe roof 112 so as to provide a means for coupling the nose fairing 202to the front wall 104. Specifically, as shown in the illustratedembodiment, the lower nose wall 208 may transition from its convexregion 222 to the lower mounting region 234 at a transition location 236defined adjacent to the front wall 104. The lower nose wall 208 may thenextend downwardly adjacent to the front wall 104 along the lowermounting region 234. As should be readily appreciated, the lowermounting region 234 may be coupled to the front wall 104 at one or morelocations using mechanical fasteners, adhesives and/or any othersuitable coupling means.

Moreover, it should be appreciated that that the overall shape and/orsize of the nose body 202 may be varied, as necessary, to accommodatediffering airflow characteristics experienced by the nose fairing 200and/or differing parameters that may impact the airflow flowing acrossand/or adjacent to the nose fairing 200, such as differing sizes of airgaps defined between the nose fairing 200 and the adjacent vehicleand/or component located directly upstream of the nose fairing 202. Forinstance, as shown in FIG. 1, an air gap 150 may be defined between thenose fairing 202 and the rear end of the cab 136 or air dam 142 of thetractor 102. As the size of such gap 150 increases or decreases, theshape and/or size of the nose body 202 may be adjusted to accommodatefor changes in the characteristics of the airflow impinging against thenose or front end of the cargo enclosure 100. For instance, in oneembodiment, a crosswise dimension 236 of the nose fairing 202 definedbetween the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100 and the leadingedge region 210 and/or a heightwise dimension 240 of the nose fairing202 defined between the roof 112 and the lower end of the convex region222 of the lower nose wall 208 (e.g., at the transition location 236)may be varied to account for differing sized air gaps 150 and/ordiffering airflow characteristics experienced by the nose fairing 200.

It should also be appreciated that the curvature of the convex region212 of the upper nose wall 206 may also be varied, as necessary, toadjust an inflow angle 242 defined by the nose body 202 to accommodatediffering incoming flow angles for the airflow. In general, the inflowangle 242 may be defined between a reference line 244 extending parallelto the plane defined by the roof 112 of the cargo enclosure 100 and areference line 246 extending through at least a portion of the convexregion 222 of the upper nose wall 206. In several embodiments, theinflow angle 242 may generally range from zero degrees to about 45degrees, such as from about 10 degrees to about 35 degrees or from about15 degrees to about 30 degrees and/or any other subranges therebetween.

Referring still to FIGS. 4-7, in several embodiments, the nose fairing200 may also include an end cap 248, 250 positioned at each end of thenose body 200. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, first and secondend caps 248, 250 are positioned at the opposed ends 252, 254 of thenose body 202, such as by installing the first end cap 248 at an outerend 252 of the first body portion 202A and the second end cap 250 at anouter end 254 of the second body portion 202B. In general, each end cap248, 250 may be configured to close off or cap the ends of the innercavity 265 (FIGS. 6 and 7) defined between the nose body 202 and thefront wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100. As such, all or a portion ofeach end cap 248, 250 may be configured to define a shape or profilethat matches or conforms to the aerodynamic shape or profile of the nosebody 202, thereby allowing the end cap 248, 250 to mate with orotherwise be coupled to one of the ends 252, 254 of the nose body 202.

For example, a perspective view of one embodiment of an end cap 248, 250configured in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter isillustrated in FIG. 8. As shown, the end cap 248, 250 includes anendwall 258 and a sidewall 260 extending outwardly from the endwall 258,with the sidewall 260 generally defining a shape or profilecorresponding to the aerodynamic shape or profile of the nose body 202.In one embodiment, the configuration of the sidewall 260 may beoversized such that the corresponding end 252, 254 of the nose body 202may be received within the end cap 248, 250 (e.g., with an inner cavity262 defined between opposed sides of the sidewall 260). In such anembodiment, the sidewall 260 of the end cap 248, 250 may be configuredto overlap a portion of the outer surface of the nose body 202 when thecap 248, 250 is installed onto the body 202. In an alternativeembodiment, the configuration of the sidewall 260 may be undersized suchthat the end 252, 254 of the nose body 202 may be configured to receivethe sidewall 260 (e.g., within the interior cavity 256 defined betweenthe nose body 202 and the cargo enclosure 100). In such an embodiment, aportion of the nose body 202 may be configured to overlap an outersurface of the sidewall 260 of the end cap 248, 250 when the cap 248,250 is installed onto the body 202. In a further embodiment, thesidewall 260 may be configured to form a tongue and groove-type jointwith the adjacent end of the nose body 202.

It should be appreciated that, in an alternative embodiment, the nosebody 202 may include integrally formed endwalls at each of its outerends 252, 254. In such an embodiment, the nose fairing 202 need notinclude the separate end caps 248, 250.

It should also be appreciated that, in one embodiment, the body coupling204 described above may be configured similarly to the end cap 248, 250shown in FIG. 8. For example, as opposed to including a single sidewall260 extending from one side of the endwall 258, the body coupling 204may include sidewalls 260 extending from both sides of the endwall 258.In such an embodiment, each sidewall 260 may be configured to receive orbe received within a portion of the ends of the adjacent body portions202A, 202B being coupled together at the body coupling 204.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, another embodiment of a nose fairing300 configured to be installed at the front end of a cargo enclosure 100is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter.Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of the nose fairing300 installed at the nose or to edge 116 of the cargo enclosure 100.Additionally, FIG. 10 illustrates a close-up, perspective of a portionof the nose fairing 300 shown in FIG. 9, particularly illustrating theportion of the nose fairing 300 positioned at one of the front cornersof the cargo enclosure 100.

In general, the nose fairing 300 may be configured the same as orsimilar to the nose fairing 200 described above with reference to FIGS.4-7. For example, the nose fairing 300 may include a nose body 302generally defining the primary aerodynamic shape or profile of the nosefairing 300. Specifically, in several embodiments, the nose body 302 maydefine the same aerodynamic profile as that shown in FIG. 7, such as byincluding an upper nose wall 206 having convex region 212 transitioningto a concave region 214 as the nose body 302 extends away from the frontwall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100, a lower nose wall 208 including aconvex region 222 and a leading edge region 210 extending between theconvex region 222 of the lower nose wall 208 and the concave region 214of the upper nose wall 206. However, as shown in FIG. 9, as opposed tocorresponding to a multi-piece component, the nose body 302 is simplyconfigured as a unitary or continuous component extending across all orsubstantial portion of the width 124 of the cargo enclosure 100.

Additionally, similar to the embodiment described above, the nosefairing 300 includes end caps 348, 350 positioned at the opposed ends352, 354 of the nose body 302. For example, the nose fairing 300includes a first end cap 348 positioned at a first end 352 of the nosebody 302 and a second end cap 350 positioned at a second end 354 of thenose body 302. However, unlike the end caps 248, 250 described abovethat terminate in a planar endwall 258, the end caps 348, 350 shown inFIGS. 9 and 10 are configured to extend outwardly form the ends 353, 354of the nose body 302 and at least partially wrap around and/or conformto the shape of the corner defined between the front wall 104, the roof112 and the adjacent sidewall 108, 110 of the cargo enclosure 100.Specifically, in several embodiments, the end caps 348, 350 may beconfigured to transition from the aerodynamic shape of the nose body 302at one end to the shape of the cargo enclosure 100 defined at oradjacent to the corner at the other end. For example, as shown in FIG.10, the end cap 348 may include a first end portion 364 positionedadjacent to the nose body 302 that defines a shape or profile thatmatches or is complimentary to the aerodynamic shape or profile of thenose body 302, such as by configuring the first end portion 364 similarto the sidewall 260 of the end cap 248, 250 described above withreference to FIG. 9. Additionally, each end cap 348, 350 may include asecond end portion 366 opposite the first end portion 364 that conformsto the shape of the corner of the cargo enclosure 100. For instance, asshown in FIG. 10, the second end portion 366 of the end cap 348 may beconfigured to wrap around the corner of the cargo enclosure 100 suchthat the end cap 348 overlaps a portion(s) of the adjacent sidewall 108and/or roof 112.

It should be appreciated that, in several embodiments, the end capsdescribed herein may include any suitable features and/or may otherwisebe configured to accommodate lights and/or any other suitable componentstypically installed onto at the front end or nose of a cargo enclosure100. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, each end cap 348, 350 may, in oneembodiment, define an opening or recessed surface 368 configured toreceive a light or any other suitable device.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a further embodiment of a nose fairing400 configured to be installed at the front end of a cargo enclosure 100is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter.Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the nose fairing400 installed at the nose or top edge 116 of the cargo enclosure 100.Additionally, FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the nosefairing 400 shown in FIG. 11 taken about line 12-12.

In general, the nose fairing 400 may be configured similar to the nosefairings 200, 300 described above with reference to FIGS. 4-10. Forexample, the nose fairing 400 may include a nose body 402 generallydefining the primary aerodynamic shape or profile of the fairing 400.Specifically, in several embodiments, the nose body 402 may define asimilar aerodynamic profile as that shown in FIG. 7. For instance, asshown in FIG. 12, the nose fairing 402 may include an upper nose wall406 having a convex region 412 transitioning to a concave region 414 asthe nose body 402 extends away from the front wall 104 of the cargoenclosure 100, a lower nose wall 408 including a convex region 422 and aleading edge region 410 extending between the convex region 422 of thelower nose wall 408 and the concave region 414 of the upper nose wall406. However, as opposed to the upper nose wall 206 shown in FIG. 7 thattransitions from the convex region 212 to the overlapped region 230 ator adjacent to the nose or top edge 116 of the cargo enclosure 100, theconvex region 412 of the upper nose wall 406 shown in FIG. 12 continuesaft of the front edge 116 so as to form all or portion of the overlappedregion of the nose fairing 400.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 12, the convex region 412 of the uppernose wall 406 may also be configured to extend out of profile relativeto the roof 112 of the cargo enclosure 100. Specifically, in severalembodiments, the convex region 412 may be initially sloped upwardly asits extends from the concave region 414 of the upper nose wall 406 inthe direction of the cargo enclosure 100 such that the upper nose wall406 extends out of profile relative to the roof 112 by a given offsetdistance 470. The convex region 412 of the upper nose wall 406 may thenbe sloped downwardly such that the offset distance 470 is reduced as theupper nose wall 406 extends closer to and contacts the roof 412. Itshould be appreciated that the convexly curved surface defined by theportion of the upper nose wall 406 overlapping the roof 112 may preventor limit separation of the airflow as its transitions from the nosefairing 400 to the cargo enclosure 100, thereby reducing the overallamount of drag on the enclosure 100.

It should be appreciated that the offset distance defined between theupper nose wall 406 and the roof 112 of the cargo enclosure 100 maygenerally correspond to any suitable distance. However, in severalembodiments, the offset distance may generally range from greater thanzero to about 6 inches, such as from about 0.5 inches to about 4 inchesor from about 1 inch to about 2 inches and/or any other subrangestherebetween. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the offsetdistance may vary depending on the configuration of the cargo enclosure100, the size of the air gap 150 defined adjacent to the fairing 400and/or the characteristics of the airflow flowing over and/or past thefairing 400. For instance, in an embodiment in which the cargo enclosure200 corresponds to a class 8, height contained trailer, the offsetdistance may range from greater than zero to about 2 inches, such asfrom about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches or from about 0.75 inches toabout 1.25 inches and/or any other subranges therebetween.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the nose fairing 400 may also includeone or more structural members configured to provide increased strengthand/or rigidity to the fairing 400. For example, as shown in FIG. 12,the nose fairing 400 may include one or more stiffening ribs 472extending between the convex region 412 of the upper nose wall 406 andthe roof 112 along the portion of the upper nose wall 406 overlappingthe roof 112. Such stiffening ribs 472 may allow the nose fairing 400 tomaintain its out of profile shape relative to the roof 112 as air isflowing over the fairing 400. Additionally, although not shown, the nosefairing 400 may also include one or more additional structuralcomponents positioned at any other suitable location within the fairing400. For example, in one embodiment, the nose fairing 400 may includeone or more additional stiffening ribs extending between the upper andlower nose walls 406, 408 within the interior cavity 456 of the fairing400.

Additionally, similar to the embodiments described above, the nosefairing 400 may also include additional features for locating the nosebody 402 relative to the cargo enclosure 100 and/or for coupling thenose body 402 to the cargo enclosure 100. For example, as shown in FIG.12, the nose fairing 400 may include a nose lip 432 configured to extendoutwardly from the upper nose wall 406 along the front wall 104 of thecargo enclosure 100 so as to provide a mechanical stop for the nose body402 when installing the nose fairing 400 onto the cargo enclosure 100.Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the lower nose wall 408 may, in severalembodiments, include a lower mounting region 434 extending along thefront wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100 in a direction away from theroof 112 so as to provide a means for coupling the nose fairing 400 tothe front wall 104.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, as opposed to having separate end capsconfigured to transition to the shape of the corners of the cargoenclosure 100 (e.g., similar to the end caps 348, 350 shown in FIGS. 9and 10), the end caps may, instead, be integrated into the nose body402. In such an embodiment, the nose body 402 may correspond to aunitary or continuous component extending along the top edge 116 of thecargo enclosure 100 that transitions at its ends 452, 454 from theaerodynamic profile or shape shown in FIG. 12 to a shape that generallyconforms to the shape of the front corners of the cargo enclosure 100.For instance, as shown in FIG. 11, the ends 452, 454 of the nose body402 may be configured to wrap around each corner of the cargo enclosure100 such that the nose body 402 overlaps a portion(s) of the adjacentsidewalls 108, 110 of the enclosure 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 13-17, yet another embodiment of suitablefairings 500, 600A, 600B that may be installed at the front end of acargo enclosure 100 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of thepresent subject matter. Specifically, FIG. 13 illustrates a perspectiveview of the cargo enclosure 100 including a nose fairing 500 installedat the top edge 116 of the enclosure 100 and first and second sidefairings 600A, 600B installed at the side edges 118, 120 defined betweenthe front wall 104 and the opposed sidewalls 108, 110 of the enclosure100. FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded, perspective view of the variouscomponents shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional viewof one of the side fairings 600B shown in FIG. 13 taken about line 15-15and FIG. 16 illustrates a close-up view of a portion of the side fairing600B shown in FIG. 15. Additionally, FIG. 17 illustrates a close-up,perspective view of one embodiment of a transition piece 680, 682 thatmay be coupled between each end of the nose fairing 500 and the adjacentends of the side fairings 600A, 600B.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the cargo enclosure 100 may include a nosefairing 500 installed at along its nose or top edge 116. In general, thenose fairing 500 may be configured the same as or similar to the nosefairings 200, 300, 400 described above with reference to FIGS. 4-12. Forexample, the nose fairing 500 may include a nose body 502 generallydefining the primary aerodynamic shape or profile of the nose fairing500. Specifically, in several embodiments, the nose body 502 may definethe same aerodynamic profile as that shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 12, such asby including an upper nose wall 206, 406 having a convex region 212, 412transitioning to a concave region 214, 414 as the nose body 502 extendsaway from the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100, a lower nosewall 208, 408 including a convex region 222, 422 and a leading edgeregion 210, 410 extending between the convex region 222, 422 of thelower nose wall 208, 408 and the concave region 214, 414 of the uppernose wall 206, 406.

Additionally, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the cargoenclosure includes first and second side fairings 600A, 600B installedat the opposed side edges 118, 120 defined between the front wall 104and the sidewalls 108, 110 of the cargo enclosure 100. Specifically, asshown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the cargo enclosure 100 includes a first sidefairing 600A installed at the first side edge 118 defined between thefront wall 104 and the first sidewall 108 and a second side fairing 600Binstalled at the second side edge 120 defined between the front wall 104and the second sidewall 110, with each side fairing 600A, 600B beingconfigured to extend lengthwise along the side edges 118, 120 across anysuitable portion of the height 122 of the cargo enclosure 100.

In general, each side fairing 600A, 600B may include a unitary ormulti-piece side body 602 configured to be installed along the frontwall 104 at or adjacent to each corresponding side edge 118, 120 of thecargo enclosure 100. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, each sidebody 602 corresponds to a unitary or continuous component configured tospan lengthwise across any suitable portion of the height 122 of thecargo enclosure 100. Alternatively, similar to the nose body 202 shownin FIGS. 4 and 5, each side body 602 may correspond to a two-piece (ormore) assembly including separate body portions configured to be coupledtogether such that the assembled side body 602 extends lengthwise alongits corresponding side edge 118, 120 across all or a portion of theheight 122 of the cargo enclosure 100. In such an embodiment, each sidefairing 600A, 600B may also include a body coupling(s) configured to beinstalled between the adjacent body portions of each side body 602 so atto couple the body portions 602 to one another.

Similar to the various nose bodies described herein, each side body 602may generally be configured to define the primary aerodynamic shape orprofile of its corresponding side fairing 600A, 600B. Specifically, inseveral embodiments, each side body 602 may define an aerodynamic shapeor profile that generally corresponds to the aerodynamic shape orprofile of the disclosed nose fairings 200, 300, 400, 500. For example,as shown in FIG. 15, each side body 602 may include an outer wall 606defining an outer aerodynamic surface of the side body 602 and an innerwall 608 defining an inner aerodynamic surface of the side body 602. Inaddition, the side body 602 may include a leading edge region 610extending between the outer and inner walls 606, 608 that generallydefines the leading or forward edge of the side body 602.

In several embodiments, the outer wall 606 of each side body 602 mayconfigured the same as or similar to the upper nose wall 206 of the nosebody 202 described above with reference to FIG. 7. For example, as shownin FIG. 16, the outer wall 606 may generally be configured to extendoutwardly from the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100 from alocation at or adjacent to the side edge 120 of the enclosure 100 to theleading edge region 610 so as to define the outer aerodynamic surface ofthe side body 602. Additionally, the portion of the outer wall 606extending outwardly from the front wall 104 may include a convex region612 and a concave region 614, with the outer wall 606 transitioning fromthe convex region 612 to the concave region 614 at a transition point616 as the outer wall 606 extends outwardly from the front wall 104 ofthe cargo enclosure 100. As shown in FIG. 16, the convex region 612 maygenerally define a convexly curved surface 618 of the outer aerodynamicsurface while the concave region 614 may generally define a concavelycurved surface 620 of the outer aerodynamic surface. Moreover, as shownin FIG. 16, the concave region 614 of the outer wall 606 may terminateat the leading edge region 610 such that the outer wall 606 transitionsdirectly from the concave region 614 to the leading edge region 610 asthe side body 602 extends outwardly from the front wall 104 of the cargoenclosure 100.

Additionally, in several embodiments, the inner wall 608 of each sidebody 602 may be configured the same as or similar to the lower nose wall208 of the nose body 202 described above with reference to FIG. 7. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 16, the inner wall 608 may generally beconfigured to extend between the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure100 and the leading edge region 610 of the side body 602 so as to definethe inner aerodynamic surface of the side body 602. In addition, theinner wall 608 may include a convex region 622 extending outwardly fromthe front wall 104 in the direction of the leading edge region 610.Specifically, the convex region 622 may be configured to terminate atthe leading edge region 610 such that the inner wall 608 transitionsdirectly from the convex region 622 to the leading edge region 610 asthe side body 602 extends outwardly from the front wall 104. As shown inFIG. 16, the convex region 622 may generally define a convexly curvedsurface 624 of the inner aerodynamic surface of the side body 602.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the leading edge region 610 of eachside body 602 may be configured the same as or similar to the leadingedge region 210 of the nose body 202 described above with reference toFIG. 7. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the leading edge region 610may generally correspond to a forward portion of the side body 602 thatdefines a radius of curvature 626 that differs from the radius ofcurvature defined by the inner and/or outer aerodynamic surfaces, suchas by defining a radius of curvature 626 that differs from the radius ofcurvature of the convex region 622 of the inner wall 608 and/or from theradius of curvature of the concave region 614 and/or the convex region612 of the outer wall 606. For example, in several embodiments, theleading edge region 610 may define a constant radius of curvature 626between the convex region 622 of the inner wall 608 and the concaveregion 614 of the outer wall 606. In such embodiments, the side body 602may transition from the uniformly radiused leading edge region 610 tothe aerodynamically shaped inner and outer walls 608, 606.

It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments, each side body 602may be configured the same as or similar to the nose body 402 describedabove with reference to FIG. 12. For example, the convex region 612 ofthe outer wall 606 may be configured to extend out of profile relativeto the adjacent sidewall 118, 120 such that the outer wall 606 overlapsand is spaced apart from such sidewall 118, 120.

It should also be appreciated that, similar to the nose fairings 200,300, 400, 500 described above, the configuration and/or size of eachside body 602 may be varied, as necessary, to accommodate differingairflow conditions experienced along the side edges 118, 120 of thecargo enclosure 100. For example, the dimensions of each side body 602may be varied to accommodate differing sized air gaps 150 definedbetween the cargo enclosure 100 and an adjacent upstream component(e.g., the cab 126 of the tractor 102).

Additionally, it should be appreciated that each side fairing 600A, 600Bmay also include any of the additional features described above withreference to any of the embodiments of the nose fairings 200, 300, 400,500. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, each side fairing 600A, 600B mayinclude an overlapped region 630 extending aft of the adjacent side edge118, 120 of the cargo enclosure 100 such that the overlapped region 630overlaps at least a portion of the corresponding sidewall 108, 110.Additionally, as shown in FIG. 16, each side fairing may include a sidelip 632 extending inwardly from the outer wall 606 so as to engage thefront wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100 when the side fairing 600A,600B is installed thereon. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 15, each sidefairing 600A, 600B may further include an inner mounting region 634extending along the front wall 104 of the cargo enclosure 100 in adirection away from the adjacent side wall 108, 110 so as to provide ameans for coupling the side fairing 600A, 600B to the front wall 104.

Referring still to FIGS. 13-17, in embodiments in which the cargoenclosure 100 includes both a nose fairing 500 and one or more sidefairings 600A, 600B installed thereon, the cargo enclosure 100 may alsoinclude a transition piece 680, 682 positioned between each end of thenose fairing 500 and the adjacent upper ends of the side fairings 600A,600B. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a first transitionpiece 680 may configured to extend between a first end 552 of the nosefairing 500 and an upper end 684 of the first side fairing 600A.Additionally, a second transition piece 682 may be configured to extendbetween a second end 554 of the nose fairing 500 and an upper end 686 ofthe second side fairing 600B.

In general, each transition piece 608, 682 may be configured totransition between the horizontally oriented, aerodynamic profile of thenose fairing 500 to the vertically oriented, aerodynamic profile of thecorresponding side fairing 600A, 600B. For example, as particularlyshown in FIG. 17, each transition piece 682, 684 may include a first endsection 688 defining a horizontally oriented aerodynamic shape orprofile that matches or is complementary to the aerodynamic profile ofthe nose fairing 500 and a second end section 690 defining a verticallyoriented aerodynamic shape or profile that matches or is complementaryto the aerodynamic profile of the corresponding side fairing 600A, 600B.In addition, each transition piece 680, 682 may include a middle section692 that provides a transition area between the horizontally andvertically oriented shapes at or adjacent to the corner of the cargoenclosure 100. As such, a substantially continuous aerodynamic profilemay be formed along the top edge 116 and side edges 118, 120 of thecargo enclosure 100 as the nose fairing 500 transitions to the sidefairings 600A, 600B along the outer perimeter of the front wall 104.

Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, an end cap 648, 650 may beconfigured to be installed at the lower end 694, 696 of each sidefairing 600A, 600B. In general, each end cap 648, 650 may be configuredthe same as or similar to any of the end caps described above, such asby being configured the same as or similar to the end cap 248, 250 shownin FIG. 8. For example, each end cap 648, 650 may define a shape orprofile that generally corresponds to the aerodynamic shape or profileof the side faring 600A, 600B such that the lower end 694, 696 of eachfairing 600A, 600B may be received within or receive a portion of thecorresponding end cap 648, 650.

It should be appreciated that, although the side fairings 600A, 600B areshown as being installed on the cargo enclosure 100 in combination withthe nose fairing 500, the side fairings 600A, 600B may, instead, beinstalled as stand-alone components. For example, in one embodiment, thecargo enclosure 100 may only include the side fairings 600A, 600Binstalled along its front side edges 118, 120.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cargo enclosure for storing cargo, the cargoenclosure including a front wall, a rear wall and a roof extendingbetween the front and rear walls, the cargo enclosure defining a topedge at the interface between the front wall and the roof, the cargoenclosure further comprising: a nose fairing extending outwardly fromthe front wall, the nose fairing including an upper nose wall, a lowernose wall and a leading edge region extending between the upper andlower nose walls, the upper nose wall extending away from the front wallat a location at or adjacent to the top edge of the cargo enclosure,wherein the upper nose wall includes a concave region defining aconcavely curved surface and an upper convex region defining a convexlycurved surface, the concave region terminating at the leading edgeregion such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the concaveregion of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region as the nosefairing extends outwardly from the front wall, wherein the lower nosewall includes a convex region defining a convexly curved surface, theconvex region terminating at the leading edge region such that the nosefairing transitions directly from the convex region of the lower nosewall to the leading edge region as the nose fairing extends outwardlyfrom the front wall, wherein the leading edge region defines a radius ofcurvature that differs from a radius of curvature of the convex regionof the lower nose wall, wherein the upper nose wall transitions from theupper convex region to the concave region as the nose fairing extendsoutwardly from the front wall in the direction of the leading edgeregion.
 2. The cargo enclosure of claim 1, wherein the leading edgeregion defines a constant radius of curvature.
 3. The cargo enclosure ofclaim 1, wherein the upper nose wall further includes an overlappedregion extending aft of the top edge of the cargo enclosure such thatthe overlapped region overlaps at least a portion of the roof.
 4. Thecargo enclosure of claim 3, wherein the overlapped region of the uppernose wall is spaced apart from the roof by an offset distance.
 5. Thecargo enclosure of claim 1, wherein the nose fairing extends lengthwisebetween a first end and a second end, further comprising an end cappositioned adjacent to at least one of the first end or the second end.6. The cargo enclosure of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the endcap defines a curved profile substantially corresponding to a profile ofthe nose fairing.
 7. The cargo enclosure of claim 6, wherein the end captransitions from the curved profile to a shape corresponding to a shapeof a front corner of the cargo enclosure.
 8. The cargo enclosure ofclaim 1, wherein the cargo enclosure further includes a sidewallextending between the front and rear walls, the cargo enclosure defininga side edge at the interface between the sidewall and the front wall,further comprising: a side fairing extending outwardly from the frontwall, the side fairing including an outer wall, an inner wall and aleading edge region extending between the outer and inner walls, theouter wall extending away from the front wall at a location at oradjacent to the side edge, wherein the outer wall includes a concaveregion defining a concavely curved surface, the concave regionterminating at the leading edge region of the side fairing such that theside fairing transitions directly from the concave region of the outerwall to the leading edge region as the side fairing extends outwardlyfrom the front wall, wherein the inner wall includes a convex regiondefining a convexly curved surface, the convex region terminating at theleading edge region of the side fairing such that the side fairingtransitions directly from the convex region of the inner wall to theleading edge region as the nose fairing extends outwardly from the frontwall.
 9. The cargo enclosure of claim 8, wherein the leading edgeportion of the side fairing defines a radius of curvature that differsfrom a radius of curvature of the convex region of the inner wall. 10.The cargo enclosure of claim 9, wherein the leading edge region definesa constant radius of curvature.
 11. The cargo enclosure of claim 8,further comprising a transition piece extending between an end of thenose fairing and an adjacent end of the side fairing.
 12. The cargoenclosure of claim 1, wherein the nose fairing further includes a noselip configured to extend outwardly from the upper nose wall adjacent tothe front wall of the cargo enclosure.
 13. The cargo enclosure of claim1, wherein the lower nose wall further includes a lower mounting regionconfigured to extend adjacent to the front wall in a direction away fromthe roof of the cargo enclosure.
 14. The cargo enclosure of claim 1,wherein the nose fairing corresponds to a separate component configuredto be separately installed on the cargo enclosure or is formedintegrally with the cargo enclosure.
 15. A kit for retrofitting anexisting cargo enclosure, the cargo enclosure including a front wall, arear wall and a roof extending between the front and rear walls, thecargo enclosure defining a top edge at the interface between the frontwall and the roof, the kit comprising: a nose fairing configured toextend outwardly from the front wall at a location at or adjacent to thetop edge of the cargo enclosure, the nose fairing including an uppernose wall, a lower nose wall and a leading edge region extending betweenthe upper and lower nose walls, wherein the upper nose wall includes aconcave region defining a concavely curved surface and an upper convexregion defining a convexly curved surface, the concave regionterminating at the leading edge region such that the nose fairingtransitions directly from the concave region of the upper nose wall tothe leading edge region, wherein the lower nose wall includes a convexregion defining a convexly curved surface, the convex region terminatingat the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitionsdirectly from the convex region of the lower nose wall to the leadingedge region, wherein the leading edge region defines a radius ofcurvature that differs from a radius of curvature of the convex regionof the lower nose wall, wherein the upper nose wall transitions from theupper convex region to the concave region as the nose fairing extendsoutwardly from the front wall in the direction of the leading edgeregion.
 16. The kit of claim 15, wherein the upper nose wall furtherincludes an overlapped region extending aft of the top edge of the cargoenclosure such that the overlapped region overlaps at least a portion ofthe roof.
 17. The kit of claim 16, wherein the overlapped region of theupper nose wall is spaced apart from the roof by an offset distance. 18.A nose fairing for a cargo enclosure, the nose fairing comprising: nosebody configured to extend outwardly from a front wall of the cargoenclosure, the nose body including an upper nose wall, a lower nose walland a leading edge region extending between the upper and lower nosewalls, wherein the upper nose wall includes a concave region defining aconcavely curved surface and an upper convex region defining a convexlycurved surface, the concave region terminating at the leading edgeregion such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the concaveregion of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region, wherein thelower nose wall includes a convex region defining a convexly curvedsurface, the convex region terminating at the leading edge region suchthat the nose fairing transitions directly from the convex region of thelower nose wall to the leading edge region, wherein the leading edgeregion defines a radius of curvature that differs from a radius ofcurvature of the convex region of the lower nose wall, wherein the uppernose wall transitions from the upper convex region to the concave regionas the nose fairing extends outwardly from the front wall in thedirection of the leading edge region.